Orchid Breeding

The laboratory has produced many significant orchid hybrids over the course of its history. These orchids are named after foreign dignitaries and celebrities to commemorate their visits to the Gardens. These include Dendrobium Margaret Thatcher, Sealara Nelson Mandela, Dendrobium Elizabeth, Papilionanda William Catherine, Papilionanda Ban Ki-moon Yoo Soon-taek, Papilionanda Andrea Bocelli, Dendrobium Jackie Chan, Renachilus Ricky Martin and Renanthera Paloma Picasso.

To date, the Gardens has registered over 630 Gardens hybrids since 1932.

Orchid Naming Ceremony in honour of His Royal Highness The Duke of Cambridge and Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge on September 11, 2012

Orchid Conservation

Singapore has some 226 species of native orchids. Of these, 152 are considered to be nationally extinct, 64 are critically endangered, three are vulnerable and only five are common. An Orchid Conservation Programme was initiated in 1995 to monitor these threatened native species and explore ways to conserve their germplasm and increase their numbers for subsequent re-introduction into appropriate habitats. Since the mid-1990s, NParks has successfully propagated and reintroduced native orchids in parks and green spaces across Singapore. To date, 33 native orchid species have been reintroduced across Singapore, comprising over 20,000 plants at more than 40 different locations.

Grammatophyllum speciosum flowering along Napier Road